5 Biblical Lessons on the Outer Man You Need to Learn

You cannot hope to lead others into the Kingdom of God if you have not taken the time to show others the love of Jesus in your actions and not just your words. This means that you must stop thinking about being a Christian and become a Christian in all you say and do.

The person you‘re seen as in public settings starts by building a good foundation in the inner man. That is why before you step out of your comfort zone and start to be the person God has called you to be you must let God help you shape your inner man. The inner man you become will shape the outer man you are. You are your inner habits. You are Your thought life.

The New International Version of the Bible states in Proverbs 23:7 “ For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”. Solomon knew to be man of God you must first change the inner man, which we already talked about, once you have done that your life as the outer man of God will take on a whole knew meaning and it will be time to develop the 5 Habits of Outward living that will show in action who you are at heart.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18

As a Christian you need to concentrate on taking the message to the lost and dying world you live in which has no vision beyond what they see around them. Death for them is not the beginning but the end and to die means to lose everything you took a lifetime to gain. That is why people with no vision fear death.They do not want to lose what they have.

They do not realize that to lose what you have now for the cost of serving Jesus Christ is to gain eternal peace and joy with God. One can only imagine the emptiness of those who wake up each day with no vision.

As a Christians it is up to you to see the vision that God has for you. Having good visions helps insure you do not lose your enthusiasm and drop out of the race before you reach the finish line. This desire is a divine gift that you must share with others in order to feel the joy set before us.

"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.” Matthew 10:26-27

Christ was good at empowering others. He saw the benefit in teaching others the word. Then through encouragement helping them to go into all the land teaching and preaching what they learned to whoever they came into contact. In this way they may do the work set forth by the Father and also by Him the Son.

Empowerment is helping others see their full potential and then acting upon that potential. In essence helping them see the vision God has set for them and then helping them to carry out their calling.

As Christians you know that God calls you to do things you might not ordinarily do. For some people this means that they will have to come off the bench and help those people that they come in contact with. A Christian’s ministry of helping others can be as simple a task as mending a fence or as complex a task as discipleship of a new believer.

You are all called by God to empower others as you are empowered ourselves. God helps you help others. God empowers you to do His work here by using the knowledge and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when He went back home to be with the Father that He would leave behind one who would be our strength and guide. It is through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that we can empower others.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

If you would have asked Abraham, Joseph or Moses about whether they had a character that others should model they would probably say no way, no how, Uh Huh and then direct your way to God. You see in the end the great men and women of faith in the Bible were just like you in some ways but in character they knew their limitations and they knew from whom their blessings flowed, and lived their lives outwardly according to God’s character and values.

In this way they have left their legacy of faith for those who came before us, for us and for those who will come after us until the day that Jesus returns. The question that remains for you is, "what will your legacy be for those who will view your lives after you have gone".

Will people use you as great men and women of faith or as someone who fell far short in character and in truth. Every one who identifies with Jesus as their Savior are the leaders of tomorrow like it or not and depending on how you live now could be the difference in how someone views Christ and chooses to live their lives tomorrow.

Or as Paul puts it, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

"Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble. Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing,".1 Peter 3:8-9

When you look at the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ you will see that His three years of ministry consisted of communication in the forms of showing us the Father’s love (evangelism) and teaching us how to relate to others that love (discipleship). Jesus is the type of person who says what He means. He wasn’t like the politicians or publicans who said a lot but didn’t really say much. If you have ever been to a political rally or watched one of those debates on TV you know what I am talking about.

Those guys can talk and talk, but never really say too much. Jesus was the type who kept it simple to talk to communicate the truth.

Now you are probably sitting there thinking I can never ever expect to communicate like Jesus did. He knew what to say when to say it and how to get the message across. It is true that in having the attributes of God because He was God, Jesus was able to see into a person’s heart and know just the right words to use in each circumstance. This allowed Jesus to touch a person’s heart or nerve depending on the situation, like talking to the woman at the well or reprimanding a Pharisee. In the end with a little faith and the perfect model we can communicate effectively.

Even in His silence Jesus communicated volumes about who He is and how well He was understood. If you were to look at any the way Jesus communicated you would see that His communication with others came in two basic forms; His communication with His Father through prayer and His communication with us through instructions and parables. This is the same model of communication that we should follow today, communication with God the Father and Jesus through prayer and then communicating to others the truth of the Gospel and discipleship.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast," Ephesians 2:8-9

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesian 4:32

As Christians grace is important to our inward, outward and onward lives. Think of it as a triangle with faith, grace and good works as the three sides. If you take any one of the sides away it is no longer a triangle but two lines that are open and essentially will not hold anything or be useful to anybody.

If you have faith, that through grace you are saved then your lives are spent doing God’s good works here on earth. Grace is an inward characteristic that is given to us by God and provides ongoing power each day to do what is right and just to everyone else

Do not fall into the trap that there must be a reason for Grace. If you do that you are in big trouble. There isn’t a reason for Grace you don’t deserve it yet you are given grace. You don’t earn Grace yet you are offered it as an alternative to what our wages should be, death. Grace is freely given yet all do not choose to receive it. Grace is a mysterious river that runs deep and wide but can be crossed by all with God’s help.

You must also never fall into the trap of believing that to give grace you must be shown grace. Where would you be if Jesus had done that? The answer is easy on your way to hell.

Galatians 6:1 GNT, states, "My friends, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too." Simply translated show others grace,

These are the outer five traits of a person who has developed and inner relationship with God. They are not the only outer traits but ones that are crucial for you onward life in the family of God.